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Freebie TV is a free way to stream live TV and on-demand movies on select smart devices.
But how does it stack up in a competitive free streaming TV marketplace that features major players like Amazon’s Freevee, Paramount’s Pluto TV and Fox’s Tubi TV?
That’s what I sought to answer when I downloaded Freebie TV. For the purposes of this review, I added the streaming service to my iOS device and consumed some content.
This article was written in July 2023 and I will review it every six months. Detailed notes on all updates will be provided.
This review is one of many Team Clark has conducted as a part of our free streaming TV series. You can learn more about our strategies for getting free streaming TV here:
Freebie TV is a free streaming service that provides live streaming and on-demand content you can access on your phone, tablet or television. The live offerings come in the form of genre-specific channels that run around the clock.
Since there is no charge for the service, you will be subject to advertisements during your viewing.
In addition to the live streaming channels, Freebie TV also has a catalog of free on-demand movies. This selection is somewhat limited, and the content can feel a bit dated. We’ll dive into that in more detail later in the article.
Good news! You’re not going to need a credit card to check out Freebie TV, and you’re probably going to own at least one device that has access to the service.
Some free streaming apps want you to hand over information like your name, email address or location. Others want you to login and make another username and password combination that you’re bound to forget shortly after creation.
I was not asked to do either of these processes when I downloaded the Freebie TV app onto my iOS device. I simply opened the app and started browsing free content to stream.
From download to launch, you can literally be watching content in a matter of seconds. That’s probably worth noting if you’re on the fence about anything I tell you in this review: You’re just a few seconds from downloading Freebie TV to try it out for yourself without risk.
You cannot stream Freebie TV’s content directly from its website, so you’ll need an approved device to run its app.
There is an app for the following:
If you have a smart TV, tablet or wireless phone that uses one of these platforms, you should be able to download the Freebie TV app.
Freebie TV boasts that it has live TV channels for both news and entertainment, as well as on-demand movies and music available 24 hours per day.
While that’s all true, you may find that the list of channels and movie titles leaves a bit to be desired. You’re not going to find the latest HBO series or recent blockbuster summer movie hits on this platform.
Instead, you’re going to find dated, obscure movies and streaming channels that feature either older or extremely genre-specific content.
As the old saying goes: “You get what you pay for.”
Let’s take a look at what Freebie TV has to offer.
Bloomberg TV+ is probably the best option here, but I feel like these news offerings fall short when compared to some of the other free streaming services out there.
Others, such as Pluto TV and Tubi TV, offer feeds from national syndicates including CBS News, NBC News and ABC News. These are 24-hour live feeds of broadcasts, bringing you the news as it happens.
If you’re hoping to catch an NFL game on this streaming service, you’re going to be very disappointed. However, fans of more niche sports like rugby, lacrosse and boxing may find that their sports itch is scratched by the channels available.
You can find a decent variety of classic TV shows and genre-specific channels on Freebie TV. However, most of what you find is decades old and may also be available on other free streaming services.
I did not find anything unique to Freebie TV that would make me want to choose it over one of its competitors.
If you thought the selection of mainstream TV options was thin, you’re likely to be similarly disappointed with the on-demand movie selection on this platform.
There may be some gems for cinema buffs in here, but my experience with the movie menu is that it was mostly obscure titles that did not enjoy much mainstream success.
Though content offerings change often on free streaming platforms, I’ve highlighted some of the recognizable names that were available at the time of this review:
Next, let’s take a look at the components of the user experience for Freebie TV viewers.
This is an area that Freebie TV really impressed me.
When watching on-demand movies, I noticed that they don’t actually make you sit through a typical streaming commercial break.
Instead, they subtly insert ads on top of the content as it is streaming. Look carefully at this screenshot I took of an ad during a movie:
You’ll notice that there is a small rectangular advertisement for a Lincoln SUV on the lower right portion of the screen next to Elvis. This was visible for less than 10 seconds and then disappeared.
This happened maybe 4-5 more times for the duration of the movie. But that was all the advertisement I was subjected to for the entirety of the film. No big deal!
The commercial break durations for the streaming TV channels were more typical for what you might expect from a linear TV channel. Though, it is worth noting that sometimes there were no commercials at all. Just a “countdown to return” from commercial break.
For as much as I enjoyed Freebie TV’s approach to commercials, I didn’t care much for the functionality of the app.
The load times were quite good, but the experience beyond that was lacking.
There is no way to pause, fast forward or rewind during a movie. So you’re pretty much stuck in place for a long period of time if you want to watch the full film without interruption.
And though you can mark channels and movies as favorites, you cannot “resume” a movie once you leave the screen. It starts over from the beginning of the film.
There also are no descriptions or landing pages for the movies. Once you select them from the menu, they begin playing immediately. The lack of information on runtime, rating and cast makes it hard to decide if you want to select a movie.
Are you still trying to decide whether or not you should add Freebie TV to your streaming portfolio? Here are some pros and cons to think over:
Pros | Cons |
FREE! | Dated and unexciting movies |
No sign-up required | Livestreaming TV channel list is lacking in comparison to top free streaming competitors |
Commercials are minimal | No way to pause, rewind or fast forward during movies |
Freebie TV may win you over with its low volume of commercials and lack of an account signup requirement, but what you gain in that convenience may be overshadowed by a weak content library.
The on-demand movies and livestreaming TV options are bland and dated. And there’s just nothing unique enough about the content to make you want to use this app over some of the more popular free streaming TV services on the market.
Ultimately, you’re probably going to find a more enjoyable free streaming experience from services such as Pluto TV or Tubi TV because of better and bigger content libraries.
Do you have experience watching Freebie TV? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community!
This post was last modified on July 20, 2023 11:35 am
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